hi mate,
I had a g995 then a g10 and then a gmax 1000 and i can honestly say that the 995 was the best of the bunch its not the stiffest out of the 3 but its light strong and well usable at 16m and you can use it for anything. i wish i could find another 1

I too had a G995 then a G10, and as Yiddo has said, I much preferred the G995. It just felt more balanced and was considerably lighter. The G995 is the best pole I’ve ever had.

It’s a perfect example of how the latest/newest model isn’t necessarily always better.

I have had a 995 for years and wont be changing anytime soon. I have had a waggle with all the top end poles out there and nothing compares, but it’s each to their own. If I ever do change it will be for the GMAX 1000.

I used a G995 for 5 seasons and loved it, I didn’t get a G10 despite my team being sponsored by Garbolino by then meaning we could buy them at a super price, because although it felt stiffer it appeared heavier. So I stuck with the 995, when I had the chance of moving onto the Gmax1000 I took the 995 along to the shop and put them side by side and again the Gmax was alot stiffer but heavier, so I was reluctant to swap. But the fact that my 995’s ( I had 2 by then) were 5 seasons old made me jump up to the new model. It’s not until you use the newer pole several times do you appreciate it’s quality. Being stiffer I bumped fish at first and was lifting them from the water on shallow canal swims, its that stiff! After having it for 18 months I’m pleased I’ve made the move as not only has it ‘future proofed’ my tackle, It is so much nicer to fish with. So far in the 18 months I’ve had it, I have only caught one carp on it, 2 weekends ago on a canal round of my winter league.And I have not fished on a lake with it yet! and I fish matches every weekend. Its a brilliant responsive strong pole for the fishing I do.

i was in the same situation as you mate 12 months ago due to my g995 getting tired.its a very good pole. i was gona stick with a garbolino (g10 or gmax 1000) simply becouse of the amount of topkits i owned.. i took the plunge and decided to go for a daiwa airity and ive never regreted it. my garbolino flat butt my 9m 11m reversable half butt and 16m section all fit the daiwa perfectly which is a bonus.

Saw fishermans friend in birmingham were advertising new 995s in their match fishing ad, if you’re not convinced about changing to a gmax why not go for a new 995, then you have a full older one as back up….and can flog the spares pack if you don’t need them to help fund the buy.

@Martin25664 wrote:

…. One negative point on the top kits though is that in poor light it is difficult to see where the end of the section is when unshipping as there is no colour band at the end!
By the way it is worth noting that the original GMax1000 came with alignment triangles only. The newer models come with the triangle and the number of the section printed on it. Why Garbolino can’t just make their minds up and stick to it is beyond me.

Maybe they didn’t think Garbolino Owners could count… :p

If I was to start match fishing again tomorrow, the first thing I would be looking for is a good second hand G995 over anything else. Couldn’t fault my old one even with a couple of extensions shoved up the end of it (although my back would disagree). Will cope with all but the heaviest of elastics, and seriously under rated compared to later poles. The G995 had the perfect balance between rigidity, balance and strength, and although later poles were more rigid at longer lengths, the same balance was not there because of the extra rigidity. The match kits for the G995 were spot on as well with the number ones removed and many anglers that bought G10’s sought out the G995 match kits to use instead of the ones supplied with the G10 itself because the taper was better suited for removal of the number ones than the G10 kits.

The mesh effect inside the sections was deemed to be not needed as it was to prevent wear on the female joint, but as the vast majority of wear is on the male joints of pole sections, Garbolino decided on not using it after a little while. The sections themselves though were exactly the same other than this.